Butternut Squash Shepherd’s Pie (Paleo, Whole30)

This butternut squash shepherd’s pie is a twist on the classic recipe. It has a butternut squash and potato mash that tops a delicious ground beef and ground turkey gravy.

I love shepherd’s pie recipes. Whether they are classic recipes, like my lamb shepherd’s pie or unique like my apple turkey shepherd’s pie and this butternut squash shepherd’s pie, they are all great in book.

I love this shepherd’s pie with butternut squash because it has all the goodness of a regular shepherd’s pie, but is kicked up a notch with a roasted squash added to the potato mash topping. Plus it is Paleo, Whole30, Gluten-free, Grain-free, andDairy-free.

Why this recipe works

• It is a unique way to sneak more veggies into a shepherd’s pie recipe. Butternut squash is a great source of vitamin A.
• This recipe is great for those that are dairy free or gluten free, or that are following a Paleo or Whole30 diet.
• This recipe is great to make for large parties and makes great leftovers.
• There is a lot of protein thanks to the beef and turkey combination.

Recipe ingredients

• butternut squash
• potatoes
• thyme
• sage
• coconut cream
• carrots
• beef
• turkey
• garlic
• onion
• thyme
• coconut flour
• tomato paste
• apple cider vinegar
• chili powder
• chopped tomatoes
• chicken stock

See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.

Additions/ Substitutions

• You can use just ground turkey or just ground beef.
• Instead of coconut cream, you can use coconut milk or almond milk.
• Instead of coconut flour, you can use tapioca flour or arrowroot flour.
• Instead of chicken stock, you can use bone broth or beef broth.

Step by step instructions

Step 1: Roast the butternut squash in the oven with spices.

Step 2: Boil the potatoes.

Step 3: Mash the roasted butternut squash and potatoes together, along with coconut cream, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper.

Step 4: Make the turkey and beef gravy. Sautée the onion, garlic, and carrots together. Then add the turkey and beef to the pan, along with tomato paste and all the spices. Add the chopped tomatoes and chicken stock and cook until the mixture turns into a thicker gravy.

Step 5: Put the turkey beef gravy into a large pan. Top in the butternut squash potato mash and bake!

Recipe FAQs

Other beef recipes you’ll love:

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4.75 from 8 votes

Butternut Squash Shepherd’s Pie (Paleo, Whole30)

By: Dominique

Servings: 8

Prep: 45 minutes mins

Cook: 45 minutes mins

Total: 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

All the goodness of a regular shepherd’s pie, but it’s kicked up a notch with a roasted squash and potato topping seasoned with thyme and sage

Ingredients 

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Mashed Butternut Squash and Potato Topping:

• ▢ 1 butternut squash, , cut in half and seeded
• ▢ ½ Tbs olive oil
• ▢ ½ tsp salt, , plus an extra pinch for the squash
• ▢ ¼ tsp ground black pepper, , plus an extra pinch for the squash
• ▢ ½ tsp dried thyme, , plus an extra pinch for the squash
• ▢ ½ tsp rubbed sage, , plus an extra pinch for the squash
• ▢ 3 lbs gold potatoes, , sliced into 1 inch thick pieces
• ▢ ¼ cup coconut cream, (Savoy tastes great and has no preservatives)
• ▢ 1 tsp garlic powder
• ▢ ½ tsp onion powder

Meat filling ingredients:

• ▢ 2 tsp olive oil
• ▢ 2 cups sliced carrots, ( this was 3-4 carrots for me)
• ▢ 1 onion, , diced (this was 1 cup for me)
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic, , diced
• ▢ 1 lb ground beef
• ▢ 1 lb ground turkey
• ▢ ¾ tsp black pepper
• ▢ 1 tsp salt
• ▢ 1 tsp dried thyme
• ▢ 1 Tbs coconut flour
• ▢ 4 Tbs tomato paste, ( Cento is paleo)
• ▢ 1 Tbs apple cider vinegar
• ▢ 1 tsp onion powder
• ▢ 1 tsp chili powder
• ▢ 1 ½ cups chopped tomatoes, ( Pomi is my all time favorite)
• ▢ 1 ½ cups chicken stock or bone broth

Instructions 

Start by making the mashed butternut squash topping:

• Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Cover a cookie sheet in aluminum foil. Cover the cut sides of the butternut squash in ½ Tbs olive oil, a hefty pinch of salt, a hefty pinch of black pepper, a hefty pinch dried thyme, and a hefty pinch of rubbed sage. Rub the spices into the squash. Place the squash, cut sides down, onto the cookie sheet. Roast the squash in the oven for 45 minutes, until soft and you can easily stab it with a knife. Set aside once done.
• While the butternut squash is roasting, boil water in a large pot. Put the sliced potatoes inside and cook until you can easily stab the potatoes with a knife, 20-25 minutes. Strain, and put into a large bowl and mash with potato masher. Add ¼ cup coconut cream, 1 tsp garlic powder, ½ tsp onion powder, ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp ground black pepper, and mash. Set aside.
• Remove the skin of the butternut squash and then put the squash into the large bowl with the potatoes and mash with a masher. Set aside once everything is mashed well together.

Then make the Shepherd’s pie meat filling:

• Put 2 tsp of olive oil and 2 cups of sliced carrots into a large pot, mix, and heat over medium-high heat. Sauté the carrots until tender, about 4-5 minutes. Add 1 cup of diced onions and the diced garlic, mix and sauté for 1-2 minutes.
• Reduce the heat to medium, add the ground beef and turkey to the pot and mix breaking it up into smaller pieces. Top the meat with ¾ tsp pepper, 1 tsp of salt, and 1 tsp of dried thyme. Mix and cook until the meat is browned, about 5 minutes.
• Add 1 Tbs of coconut flour to the meat and mix. Then add the 4 Tbs of tomato paste, 1 Tbs of apple cider vinegar, 1 tsp of onion powder, and 1 tsp of chili powder to the meat and mix. Add 1.5 cup of chopped tomatoes, mix.
• Add 1.5 cup of chicken stock or bone broth and simmer until the sauce reduces to a gravy, about 5-7 minutes.
• Pour the shepherd’s pie filling into a large pan, 9 in x 13 in. Top the meat in the mashed butternut squash topping, using a spatula to evenly spread it out.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Notes

• You can use just ground turkey or just ground beef.
• Instead of coconut cream, you can use coconut milk or almond milk.
• Instead of coconut flour, you can use tapioca flour or arrowroot flour.
• Instead of chicken stock, you can use bone broth or beef broth.

Nutrition

Calories: 481kcalCarbohydrates: 52gProtein: 30gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 73mgSodium: 739mgPotassium: 1750mgFiber: 8gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 15588IUVitamin C: 63mgCalcium: 120mgIron: 5mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

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